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It was a dark evening in hell. It usually was, but it was unusually so for the demon heading to the Happy Hotel.

Everyone had laughed when they heard about this "experiment" on TV, even Cherri, but Angel Dust, he felt the spark of something he thought he had lost: hope. But it wasn't just normal hope, it was hope that connected him to memories, more specifically memories of the child he had lost forever.

Her name was Cassandra Maria di Lucchese. She was the result of an experimental phase he was in with a good high school friend when he wanted to know whether he was bi or purely gay. He realized he was gay, and she accepted it. They left the relationship on good terms.

Unknown to either of them, Cassie was conceived. Her mother Maggie Walters was only 17. He was 19. She wrote him a letter as soon as she found out four months later. He wasn't in love with her and she wasn't in love with him. Nevertheless, they were forced to enter a common law marriage, so that Maggie wouldn't bear the shame of being an unwed mother and the child would be supported at least from a distance with money from his family. They didn't plan on even living together. Angel had too much living to do.

It was so scandalous. His father was so angry. Angel couldn't suppress a smile at that memory.

That smile grew wider when he remembered the day Cassie was born.

He was at the birth per Maggie's request. She didn't want to be alone and it was his fault, so he thought he could at least support her even if he intended to only pay child support and visit every so often. She was his friend after all.

Angel only planned on staying until the birth was over. He would sign the birth certificate, pay the bills, and leave to drink himself to oblivion. That was the plan, but everything changed the moment he met his daughter.

Tears formed at the corner of his eyes in remembrance. When he entered that room and looked into his baby's eyes, his heart melted. When Maggie let him hold her, he knew from that moment on that he would be wrapped around her finger. He fell madly in love and knew that nothing would ever be the same for him.

They named her Cassandra and called her Cassie for short. When her mother left the hospital, Angel went home with her and helped her around the clock. He forgot all his plans for most of the next several months.

He hardly left Cassie's side and forgot about his substance addictions and other commitments for a while. His family would have to come pick him up for work because they knew he wouldn't leave his daughter without some persuasion.

Most of the family couldn't understand his level of devotion, not even the ones who were legitimately married. Whenever he was away, Cassie was all he thought about.

It was ironic. He was a queer man whose heart had been stolen by a baby girl. When he would finally let himself leave her side for a night on the town, his romantic flings and drinking buddies pointed out his hypocrisy and laughed in his face, but he didn't care.

As she grew up, Angel remained very involved in her life despite his work and his flings and his addictions. He came by so often that Maggie made him his own guest room. He prided himself on being the Daddy that his father never was. As a result, he and Cassie were very close.

They bonded over their shared love of clothes and the arts, especially dancing and singing. He took her to more than a few dance clubs where no child had any business being, but she didn't mind and somehow managed to survive more than a few of his drunken nights out on the town.

He made sure she had the best of everything as only a father of the mob could do. He set his "wife" and his baby up in a nice apartment in a nice neighborhood and had her sent to the best schools. He tried not to spoil Cassie, but sometimes, he couldn't help himself. He just couldn't resist seeing her smile.

Nevertheless, Cassie was a good kid, sometimes too good, and it only got worse as she got older. Her mother grew more involved with the local Catholic Church and so did Cassie. They both grew into very devout and very good people. So good that they decided they weren't comfortable living off the mob's money anymore.

Of course, Angel had problems with that and more problems when Maggie and Cassie decided to live honestly in a crappy apartment off their own hard-earned money.

He and his daughter remained on good terms, mostly, but she started resenting him and what his family did.

Cassie had strong moral convictions and a mind of her own. Two things that got her and Angel into many arguments throughout her teenage years. As a result, Angel started spending more time away from her.
All those arguments were Angel's biggest regrets. He cursed his mind's renewed ability to remember as he reflected on his last evening with her.

It was Halloween 1946. Angel parked his black 1946 dodge in front of one Little Italy's biggest theaters to see Cassie. He had been out of town for a month while he and his family took care of some business in Italy and was dying to see her.

Cassie was 17 and had graduated high school the spring before. Her dream was to be a Broadway star, so she joined this theater to work herself up to that goal.

Unbeknownst to her, her Daddy had pulled some strings and made some threats to make that happen. There were many advantages to being a member of a crime family.

Angel remembered checking himself in the rearview mirror before heading inside. His human appearance was jarring in comparison to how he looked now. He had dark brown hair and light green eyes. His skin was olive, and he wore a suit like what he wore in death, except for the darker colors of course.

After making sure he looked fine, he strutted out of the car and into the theater. It was empty out front in the lobby except for a lone janitor sweeping the floor. He looked around for a second before the janitor yelled at him.

Without looking up at him, the janitor said curtly, "Hey, buddy! If you ain't here for an audition, could ya move it? Some of us have work to do."

Annoyed at his tone, Angel said, "Shut it, pal. I'm the father of one of the dancers, and I wanna see my little girl. Is that alright wit' ya?"

"I suppose," the janitor said still without even looking for him. "What's her name?"

Angel's lips curled into a smug smile and said, "Cassandra di Lucchese. I'm her Daddy, Angelo di Lucchese."

The janitor finally stopped his work to look up at him and stared at him in pure unadulterated terror. His attitude was gone, and he began to shake.

Angel adored this terror that came whenever he spoke his family name. He adored the prestige and the notoriety that gave him and his family his power. He also adored the look on his face. It was priceless.

"Not so sassy now, are we, pal?" Angel gloated as he walked over to the now cowering janitor.

"I-I'm sorry," the janitor said. "I-I didn't know…P-Please…I'll give you anything…"

"Good, well, lucky for you, I just want to know one thing," Angel said standing over him and intimidating him with his presence. "Do you know where my daughter is?"

"Uh, no…S-Sorry. I-I know every gal in the chorus line…Th-there's no Cassandra di Lucchese here…You must h-have the wrong place," the janitor said backing up against the wall.

Angel looked to the side and sighed deeply before he asked, "Do ya know a Cassie Walters?"

"Oh, yeah, she's in rehearsal right now, but it's almost over," the janitor said. "She's right in there."

Angel walked past him in preoccupation and said, "Thank you. Next time watch the attitude, buster."

He followed the jazz music and walked through the theater doors. The girls were in the middle of a tap-dancing number, so rather than interrupt, he stood against the wall and sulked.

When she started high school, Cassie started using her mother's last name instead of his whenever she introduced herself and whenever she signed her name. When they argued about it, she explained to him that she wanted to be known as herself rather than the daughter of a mafioso. Cassie didn't want to be associated with any of them.

That irritated Angel to no end. That was probably why he kept choosing to forget about it rather than keep fighting pointlessly.

He watched Cassie dance to get his mind on something better. She had the tap-dancing solo, and boy, was she knocking it out. Her feet moved with such dexterity, finesse, and speed. He never knew where God got that talent to put in her. It certainly didn't come from him or her mother. She was unbelievable.

On top of that, she could sing, she could act, and she could play several instruments. Cassie was a Broadway star in the making.

Angel smiled. He couldn't help but be proud.

The rehearsal soon ended, and as soon as all the ladies returned to their dressing room, Angel talked to the director about her progress and wrote him another check. Then when he thought the ladies had enough time to make themselves decent, he got the director to show him where the dressing room was.

The director knocked on the door and yelled, "Are you all decent? One of your Dad's wants to come in!"

When he received the confirmations, the director opened the door and said, "Go on in, Mr. Lucchese."

"Much obliged," Angel said as he strutted in.

He walked past about a dozen other girls before he saw his still sitting in front of a mirror.

Cassie had her mother's face, but she had his hair, eyes, svelte body, and olive skin. Of course, Angel was biased, but she was absolutely beautiful.

She was wearing a white blouse with black pants, her tap-dancing shoes, and an old-fashioned looking broch.

For some reason, her long hair was up in a bun. Cassie always had a weird sense of style. Just like him. It made him so happy.

Cassie was too busy adjusting her hair to notice he was present, so Angel crept up, hugged her from behind, and said, "Guess who?"

Cassie turned around, hugged him, and squealed in surprise, "Dad! You're back!"

Angel picked her up, spun her around, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and said, "What's the buzz, bambina? I swear to God you're getting lighter. All that dancing is making you too thin."

"I missed you too, Dad," Cassie said when her Dad finally put her down. "But in your letter, you said you weren't coming back for another week."

"We got done early so I thought I'd surprise you," Angel said leaning against the table.

"So, you lied to me? That's just swell."

"I'm here for one minute, and you decide to give me sass. Is that any way to treat your old man?"

"You're not that old."

"And that's why you're my favorite."

Cassie rolled her eyes playfully, sat back in her chair, and went back to messing with her hair.

"By the way, what's with the new duds?" Angel asked. "Not that I don't like 'em. Mind you. Just curious."

"It's a costume," Cassie replied twirling around and showing him her cape. "I'm goin' to a Halloween party with the cast tonight after we go out for dinner. I'm goin' as Dracula."

"So, you're goin' for more of a Bela Lugosi look then?"

"You got it. I've been lookin' forward to this all month. I spent days getting the cape just right and getting all the clothes perfect. There's gonna be a costume contest, and whoever wins gets treated by all the losers."

"No kiddin'? Well, in that case, your costume could use some work."

"What's wrong with it?" Cassie asked indignantly.

"First of all, you need to wear your hair down," Angel said turning her back around and pulling bobby pins out of her hair. "For God's sake, Cass, ya look like a fuddy-duddy school teacher."

"Dad!" Cassie complained putting her hands on top of his. "Stop it. You know it takes forever to do anything with this hair. Besides, I'm supposed to look like Bela Lugosi. Suave and sophisticated and all that jazz…"

Angel gently pushed her hands off, continued pulling out bobby pins until her hair was again at its full long length, and said, "Cassie, babe, there's nothin' suave and sophisticated about looking like my high school English teacher. You look fuddy-duddy."

"But I'm supposed to look old, Dad," she retorted. "I'm Dracula…"

"He lets his hair flow freely in the book," he retorted while brushing out her hair. "Remember? Think of it this way. You're now more authentic than all the other posers. Besides, you look better with your hair down, Cass."

"I suppose you have a point," Cassie relented as her father finished brushing her hair and put the brush down.

"Of course, I do," Angel said quietly as he leaned in closer to her ear. "I'm a queer. You can trust me when it comes to this stuff."

Cassie smiled and said, "That is true."

"And take off this cheesy broch," Angel said taking the opportunity to snatch the broch from the collar Cassie's shirt and toss it in the trash. "Good God, babe, are you tryin' to look like a geezer? Where'd you get this garbage anyway?"

"Dad!" Cassie said reaching down into the waste basket and pulling her broch out. "I bought this at a trinket shop with Caterina when we were shoppin' for costume supplies. Excuse me if this theater gig doesn't pay much."

"I understand, so why don't ya wear this instead?" Angel replied pulling a ruby diamond platinum pendant out of his pocket. "I bought it for ya as a little souvenir from Italy. Let me put on for you."

"Dad," Cassie said in surprise while Angel clasped it around her neck for her. "It's beautiful."

Angel kissed her cheek and said, "There, doesn't that look better?"

"Dad, I don't know what to say," Cassie managed to get out while looking over the pendant in awe.

"No need to thank me, bambina," Angel replied with a smile while readjusting her hair. "You know how I love to get my girl pretty things."

Cassie then paused, turned to him, and asked with a look of suspicion, "Dad, where did you get this?"

"I told you, Italy," Angel said purposely dodging the question.

"Where specifically?"

"At a store."

Cassie continued studying his face in a way she knew annoyed him.

"Bambina, what's that face supposed to mean?" he whined.

"Cassie, are ya ready to go or what?" Cassie's friend, Caterina, said walking up in her witch costume and saving him from another unwanted explanation which would lead to an unwanted argument. "Wow, honey, your outfit is killer, especially that pendant you're wearing."

"Told ya," Angel said hugging his daughter on the side and kissing her on the cheek again before walking away. "I won't hold you up since you got plans. I love you, and I'll call ya later. Okay?"

Cassie sighed and said, "Ok, see ya."

"Bye, Mr. Lu—Ow!" Caterina started to say before Cassie swiftly elbowed her in the side. "I mean, bye, Mr. Walters."

"Bye," Angel said heading walking away with mixed feelings.

Apparently, her school buddy Caterina was the only one who knew who Cassie really was. If that was what she wanted, then who was he to say no?

His thoughts were interrupted by an obnoxious, grandstanding masculine voice saying, "Hey, Cass!"

Angel turned around. He knew this fathead's voice. He was the doll-dizzy creep who took his baby out on the town, got wasted, and left her out in Harlem by herself in the wee hours of the morning.

Thankfully, Cassie had the sense to find a payphone and call Angel to come to get her. Naturally, he did not like that boy.

Angel hid behind a rack of clothes and watched from a distance. Tony was dressed in the same outfit Cassie was much to her chagrin.

"You ain't supposed to be in here, Tony," Cassie said in annoyance walking past him with Caterina.

"Yeah, creep, get a move on," Caterina said strutting past him as well.

"Cassie, look at this," Tony said. "You and I are dressed the same. How about that?"

"Mine looks better," Cassie said playfully paying him little attention. "Yours looks like you bought it from a cheesy department store."

"Well, maybe, but I was thinking we could, you know, go as a couple since we are dressed the same and all,"

Tony said standing in front of her.

"As swell a time as I'm sure that would be," Cassie replied sarcastically. "I'm gonna say no."

"Why not, babe? I know the first date didn't go so well, but…"

"'Didn't go so well?' I had to call my Dad to get me out of Harlem at 2 in the mornin'. Then, you don't even have the decency to call and apologize?"

"That was over a month ago, babe, you're the faithful one. Don't ya believe in forgiveness?"

"I do, but the Bible doesn't tell ya to act a fool. Scram, Tony."

Cassie walked past him exiting the dressing room without another word with Caterina silently following behind her. Her hands were tightly gripped around the strap of her bag.

Angel knew from that that she was pissed. This knucklehead was not taking no for an answer. He had to do something, and now was the time to do it.

Angel crept up from behind, pushed Tony into a chair, pulled a knife out of his pocket, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and said, "Listen, you active duty fathead. That girl you're so clobbered on is my daughter and she doesn't like you, so you better lay off, or next time, Daddy Angelo di Lucchese is gonna do a little more than just bust your chops. You hear me?"

When Tony meekly nodded, Angel let him go.

Tony fell backward, trembled in his chair in absolute horror, and said, "C-Cassie's a Lucchese? Oh, my God…"

"That's right, buddy," Angel said leaning close to his face. "If you bother her again, you're gonna have the whole Lucchese family on your tail…"

"DADDY!" Angel heard a familiar voice yell behind him.

He turned around and saw his daughter standing pale-faced in embarrassment in the doorway next to Caterina.

"Bambina…" Angel said as Tony took the opportunity to run out of the dressing room.

"Uh, I forgot my purse," Caterina said awkwardly walking past them.

"Dad, what in God's name were you doing?!" Cassie yelled.

"I was getting that creep off your back, Cass," Angel replied.

"He would have left me alone anyways! You didn't have to do that! God have mercy! Now, the whole damn theatre is going to know that I'm a member of the Lucchese family!"

"Good, now, he'll leave you alone!"

"Uh…" Caterina said having walked back when no one was looking. "Cassie, why don't we go?"

"I can't go," Cassie replied.

"Why not?"

"He's going to blab to everyone that I'm the daughter of Angelo di Lucchese. You know how awkward that party's going to be. They're going to keep me at arm's length and treat me like a China doll. That's what always happens."

"But Cass…"

"Get going, Caterina," Cassie said. "You don't wanna keep Johnny waiting."

Caterina sighed, gave her a hug, and said, "Okay, I'll call you later."

Cassie hugged her back and said, "Have fun."

Caterina walked out. Cassie glared at Angel and then walked out behind her.

Angel facepalmed, sighed deeply, and ran out after her yelling, "Cassie! Bambina, where'd you go?! I'm sorry!"

When he didn't hear a reply, Angel sulked back to his car. He had ruined his daughter's evening. The only thing left for him to do was to look for some drugs.

But right as he entered the car, he saw Cassie go out the front door of the theater. She had changed into her normal clothes: a black sweater with a green plaid skirt, normal shoes, and a headband that matched her skirt. The only thing she was still wearing was the ruby pendant.

Cassie saw Angel through the windows, but she clutched her bag and her coat and walked down the stairs as if she didn't see him.

Angel hopped back out of the car and walked over to the other side.

"Cassie, you can't keep ignoring me," he said. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think I'm going?" Cassie asked. "I'm walking home."

"No, you're not," Angel said throwing the car door open. "Get in."

Cassie turned around, rolled her eyes, and climbed into her Dad's car.

When Angel climbed in, he started the car and started heading for his favorite Italian restaurant. The drive would give them time to talk.

Angel looked over and saw that Cassie was staring out the window.

He sighed and asked, "Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"It couldn't hurt," she replied.

"Well, then, I'm sorry."

"But you keep doing it."

"I do not."

Cassie turned around and said, "Oh, really? Remember Jacob?"

"He was a Jew," Angel said. "You're Catholic. You weren't interested. He wouldn't take the hint."
"Paul?"

"He had it coming."

"Emilio?"

"He gave off bad vibes. I didn't like him."

"Well, how about Steve?"

"Uh…okay, I went too far that time."

"That time? You go too far every single time a guy shows interest in me."

"I was just trying to protect you."

"Protect me? By doing what? By making every boy I turn down think the Lucchese mob is after them?"

"It makes them leave you alone. Doesn't it?"

"Yeah and ruins any chance of having a normal relationship. Do you know how hard it is to be friends with a boy who can't look at you without shuddering in fear?"

"That's what gives us power, bambina," Angel said proudly with a twisted smile. "You should take advantage of it."

"I don't want to," Cassie said passionately after a brief pause. "I don't want people to look at me and be afraid of me. I want them to know I can be their friend, not their enemy. And I want them to be good to me because they know I'm a good person and respect me for who I am, not because I'm forcibly connected by genetics to a bunch of murderers and thieves."

Angel looked at her. His features softened when he saw the passionate tears at the corners of her eyes.

He looked back at the road, sighed deeply, and said, "Cass, I'm really sorry for threatening your suitors. Okay? If it makes you happy, I'll leave 'em alone from now on. Unless they threaten to hurt you or if they actually hurt you. Or, if they get you pregnant. Hell, if that happens, I'll fire a shotgun right into their genitals and up their asses. Either way, they'll never enjoy making love ever again."

"Dear God, Dad," Cassie said looking at him with an amused smile. "Do you always have to talk like you're reading a porn novel?"

"Yes," Angel said as she playfully rolled her eyes. "I hope you're in the mood for Italian food. We're going to Fragole."

"I figured that out when you passed my apartment."

"I love it when you're a wise guy."

"Your apology is accepted by the way."

"Thank God!" Angel said switching the radio on and having his eyes light up when he heard his favorite Halloween song come on. "Oooh, yes! My favorite!"

"Oh, no," Cassie said. "You know how much this song annoys me."

"You know you like it," Angel teased wrapping his arm around her shoulder while he drove. "Now, come here, you."

"Dad, you do this every year," Cassie complained playfully as the opening instrumental part of the song finally finished.

"Just like the magic potion," Angel sang much to his daughter's "chagrin." "You fill me with emotion. You control my very soul. You got me voodoo'd. Who knew the goddess Venus would start this love between us?"

"How appropriate," Cassie added sarcastically.

"You fill me with desire," Angel sang. "You got me voodoo'd."

Finally, Cassie relented, and they sang together, "You knew you had power. Pick the hour when the full moon was above. I was hypnotized when I looked in your eyes and my heart was filled with love. Just like the power of Circe, you've got me at your mercy. Always yours to have and hold, you've got me voodoo'd."

"There, was that so bad?" Angel asked as the song continued with its big band instrumentals.

"It gets more tolerable every year," Cassie admitted as she leaned on his shoulder.

"Then, I'll just have to keep singing it."

"You're insufferable."

Eventually, Angel got them to the restaurant where they had their meal. Fragole was a friend of "the family" so Angel managed to get him and his girl a section to themselves. They had a good time. They got to talk and catch up while enjoying some great food. Everything was fine…until Angel once again opened his big mouth.

Angel had mentioned seeing the end of Cassie's rehearsal, so she had been talking about how her dancing was going.

"I still can't believe I got the solo," Cassie said between bites of spaghetti. "I'm the youngest girl there. I mean, I thought I'd get in the chorus line for sure, but not the solo. Those usually go to the older girls."

"Believe it, Cass," Angel said between sips of wine. "You're goin' places. I always knew you were. I talked to the director while you were changing in the dressing room. He says you cook with helium every time you're on that stage. He knew you were amazing from your first audition. He would have taken you even without my check…"

The words escaped his mouth before he even thought about what he was saying. His only thought then was, "fuck."

Cassie dropped her fork on her plate and yelled, "WHAT?!"

"Oh, shit," Angel said facepalming himself.

"DAD!" Cassie yelled angrily as the color vanished from her face. "How could you?! You knew I wanted to earn my place, but you bribed my director anyway?! What's wrong with you?!"

"Cass, I was only trying to help," Angel said trying to calm her and himself down.

"That's always your goddamn excuse!" Cassie replied standing up from her chair. "Why can't you ever let me earn anything on my own?!"

"Because I don't want to see you fail," Angel said starting to get annoyed himself.

"Failure's a part of life, Dad! You have to work hard to get what you want, and you don't always succeed, but I want to earn what I want because it's the right thing to do! Because that's what's fair!" Cassie yelled back.
Angel finally snapped standing up himself, "I got news for you, Cass! Life isn't fair, and it sure as hell isn't gonna respect your noble intentions!"

She might be mad, but he couldn't take it anymore.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Cassie demanded.

"That means I stepped in cuz I knew that unless I did you'd be discarded like all the other nobodies of this world," Angel began. "Do you know how the bigwigs of this world see girls like you? To all them at the top, you're a nobody! To them, you're just a Walters, a name they don't know and don't care about. You're a dime a dozen, and if you go, there are a million others waiting to take your place! To get to the top, you have to slave away for them and do whatever disgraceful, dirty thing they ask! You can't trust them to do the right thing! They won't do the right thing unless you force them to care! That's what our family did and look at where we are now! You have to stop being naïve and take advantage of the connections you have in this world, Cass. Unless you do, you are gonna be eaten alive out there! And I love you too much to watch that happen! You also need to stop pretending you aren't as much a Lucchese as I am for the sake of some naïve, self-righteous, and idealistic crusade!"

"I don't care what you say! I'm a redeemed woman now! I'm not goin' back to livin' as a pampered pet livin' off your blood money. And self-righteous? At least, I'm honest! Unlike you!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"I know all your sins. You're a murdering, lying thief in a family of other murdering, lying thieves! You're a junkie and a drinker who loves sodomy and adultery! But that's not the worst thing about you!"

"What is the worst thing about me then?!"

Cassie's face suddenly fell as if she was hesitating, but Angel was still angry.

"Come on, Cassie!" Angel yelled. "You brought it up! What do I do that you think is so awful?! What could I possibly do that is worse than all those other sins combined! Huh?!"

Angel felt a hard object get thrown at his eye. Thankfully, he blinked before it could do any damage, but he still felt a bruise forming. Angel looked down to see what it was and saw the ruby pendant on the ground.
He looked up to see Cassie crying angry tears.

"You're a hypocrite and a fucking coward," Cassie said before she took her purse and her coat and powerwalked away from the table and out of the restaurant.

Angel picked up the pendant and stared at it silently for a few minutes. When the owner came by to check on them, Angel gave him enough cash to cover the bill and told him to keep the change before he walked outside to find his daughter.

He found her smoking on the sidewalk. He could tell from her face that she had been crying. When she saw him, she turned away until he asked her for a match. She handed him a book of matches from her purse, and he lit his own cigarette. They stood there in silence for a while taking in the scene and watching dusk turn into night. Each of them was trying to cool down in their own way.

Angel knew where Cassie had got her temper from. He wasn't angry at her. He was more confused than anything. There was so much on his mind, but he couldn't will himself to speak until the street lamp finally came on.

"Cassie, I ain't mad at ya," Angel said before taking another puff from his cigarette. "I'm just confused. We used to be so close. You know. Then after ya moved out with your mother, we started fighting more. I understand you hate my family. I do, too. I hate almost every single one of those bastards. But I don't understand why you're upset at me. Why do you think I'm a hypocritical coward?"

Cassie looked at him and visibly hesitated.

"Bambina, you've never been afraid of talking to me," Angel reassured her. "You don't have to start now. You know I would never lay a finger on you for being honest. If I did, you have my permission to fire a shotgun up my ass. Okay? Now, tell me. Why am I a hypocritical coward?"

Cassie sighed and said, "You act like you're a hard-boiled mafia gangster who only really cares about a handful of people, but I know for a fact that that's not who you really want to be. You hate being a part of it as much as I do, but instead of cutting yourself off from it like I am, you indulge your flesh to numb your pain. That's why you indulge in your liquor, your drugs, and your sodomy. You do it to make living with yourself easier because you're miserable. That's why I called you a hypocritical coward. I'm not wrong. Am I?"

Angel paused for a second and asked, "What makes you think I don't like being a part of the mob?"

"When you're drunk, you talk…a lot. I've been around you during your binges often enough to hear it. 'Oh, bambina, I hate killing people for my Dad. I always see their faces in my dreams.' 'Oh, bambina, I wish I was an orphan, so I could do what I wanted with my life.' 'Oh, bambina, I don't like carrying out Dad's stupid campaigns. I'd rather be at the clubs snortin' coke or f****** another queer…'"

"Christ, I really said that to ya?"

"Yes."

"Well, uh, Cassie, I was drunk," Angel said defensively. "I didn't mean any of it."

"Jesus said out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks," Cassie pushed.

"Don't quote the Bible at me."

"That means that something in you wants to leave it even if it's just a little bit."

"Cassie…" Angel said defensively.

"You want to leave, but you won't let yourself admit it!" Cassie said with more passionate tears rolling down her cheeks. "If you were really as bad as the others, I would learn to live with it, but you're not! You're just too scared to change, and one day, it's gonna destroy ya! I love you too much to watch that happen, but there's nothin' I can do, and I hate it!"

Cassie stared at him with her eyes that pierced his soul. In the present and in the past, Angel reflected on her words and knew she was right.

Angel sighed deeply before he said, "Okay, stop it. You're right about me. Why did God make you so damn perceptive?"

"Then, why don't you leave it?" Cassie asked.

"Cass, it's a lot easier for you than it is for me. First of all, you're a woman…"

Cassie shot him a questioning glance and he said, "Okay, there's a lot about being a woman that's unfair, but you still have an advantage over me. Unless you do somethin' really crazy, no one in the mob cares what you do. It's not like that for me. I'm a son of the Don. I have no choice but to be involved in this, Cass. My Dad already hates me. If I were to leave, he'd hunt me down and make me pay. Even if he left me alone, I'd be watched for the rest of my life. Hell, you wanna know where I really got the pendant? I took it as a bribe from a guy I was supposed to kill for desertin'."

"Then Dad, why don't you leave New York and go somewhere else?"

"I'd have to go somewhere far away, Cass, and I could never come back. I mean, where would I go? What would I do?"

"You could go to San Francisco. I've heard that there's a large community of queers over there. You'd fit right in."

"I'd have to change my name."

"How about 'Angel Dust?' It's fittin' for all the drugs you do."

Angel looked at Cassie and smiled. He loved her sense of humor.

"You'd be alone," Angel said. "If they found out you knew anything, you'd be in trouble and I couldn't protect you."

"I'd go to San Francisco with you if it would make you feel better," Cassie said with a smile. "I'd miss Mom and my friends, but I could write them letters and call them when I wanted."

Angel's cigarette was done so he flicked it on the ground and said, "I don't know, babe. That'd be a big change for me."

Cassie's face fell. Angel could never stand seeing her sad.

He walked over to her, gave her a hug, and said, "I'll think about it. Alright?"

Cassie hugged Angel back and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

When she finally let go of him, she said, "Maybe you can go to Alcoholics Anonymous, too. Get help for all your addictions…"

"Let's focus on one problem at a time, babe. Slow down a bit. Will ya? Next thing I know, you'll tell me to go to an asylum for my queerness," he replied.

"Hell, no. Have you ever read the accounts of Nellie Bly? That was a long time ago, but not much has changed since then from what I've been reading. I wouldn't send a rat to one of those places."

"Speaking of queers, wanna go to Greenwich Village for a Halloween party? I told some buddies I'd be there, and I'd hate for that costume you worked so hard on to go to waste."

Cassie smiled playfully and said, "You can't fool me. You just wanna go fishing under the guise of spendin' some time with me."

"Can't I do both?" Angel asked while posing dramatically. "You like the cabarets anyhow, and if I find a date, you can drive yourself home."

"Only you would choose a place where no boy's gonna flirt with me."

"So, you wanna go?"

"Yeah. Just let me change in the car."

As they walked to the car, Angel remarked, "You know. You're remarkably tolerant of hedonism for a good Catholic girl."

"On the list of eight cardinal sins and in Dante's circles of hell, lust and gluttony are at the bottom in terms of seriousness," Cassie replied. "Besides, Jesus ate with the prostitutes and tax collectors, so I do, too."

"Aren't you an enlightened little saint?"

"You're insufferable."

When they reached the car, Cassie changed into her Dracula costume while Angel drove down to his favorite nightclub in Greenwich Village.

He had brought her to these places since she was small enough to sit on the pool tables and push the white ball around whenever he'd play pool with her. Looking back, it was not a responsible thing to do with a little girl, but he was 23 and stupid. Thankfully, the others liked her enough and Angel never got drunk enough to blackout.

The worst thing that ever happened was that Angel got too drunk to drive or even find the car, and Cassie was tired and scared to the point of tears. He ended up sleeping on a bench with her on his chest covered by his coat. God was truly merciful to the stupid.

They arrived at the cabaret where everyone was dressed up in their best costumes, mostly in drag but others in Halloween costumes. The place was crowded with queers from all over New York. It had Halloween decorations all over to dazzle the eyes and loud big band music with a large dance floor to dance on. Angel was home.

Angel talked to Isabella, the club's bisexual, African-American bartender, to open a tab for him and his daughter. She and Isabella were good friends, so he knew it was safe to leave them together.

"Alright, bambina," Angel said handing her the keys to his car while clasping the pendant around her neck again to complete her costume. "I'll come by to tell you when I get a date but take the keys in case I forget. You're still too young to drink, but if you do, don't leave the drink out of sight of yourself or Isabella. I know we're at a gay bar, but believe me, some of the lesbians in here are thirsty. And for God's sake, call your mother if you get too drunk to drive or she will murder me slowly. You did tell her you were with me, right?"

"Yes, Dad, you have given me the same spiel every time since I was 13," Cassie said sassily. "Do you think I haven't memorized all this by now?"

"Bambina, I'm your Daddy," Angel said. "I'm always gonna be paranoid when it comes to you. You know that."

"Then why are you leaving me alone in a bar?" Cassie said sarcastically before Angel gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, bambina," Angel said rubbing the top of her head. "Wish me luck. Daddy's going fishing."

"Don't drown," Cassie replied as he walked away much to Isabella's laughter.

"Shut up," Angel said while Cassie and Isabella continued laughing.

"You're such a gas, Cass," Isabella replied.

"Don't encourage her!" Angel yelled over his shoulder.

He could hear the girls laugh out loud while he got ready to mingle. Angel spent most of the night after that drinking and striking out with every man he tried to flirt with while Isabella and Cassie watched and cracked up at his expense in between conversations of their own.

Eventually, Angel sat down in an empty seat next to Cassie, leaned backward from both disappointment and drunkenness, and moaned quietly.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Cassie asked mockingly. "Is the sugar all rationed?"

Angel sat up, turned around, and said, "I just can't figure out what I'm doin' wrong, Cass. I'm doin' everything right. I swear to God. These men aren't really queer. They're all posers just comin' in to laugh at us on Halloween."

"Maybe it just isn't meant to be, Dad," Cassie replied with her unique blend of optimism and sass between sipping her soda. "It could be a sign. Maybe God's killin' your sex appeal to make you start actin' like a married man."

"Nah, that can't be it. First off, your mother and I aren't technically married, so I'm not technically 'adulterous.' Second, if this is a sign of anything, it's that I'm becoming a geezer. I just don't got it in me anymore."

"Dad, you're being overdramatic cuz you're drunk. You're 36."

"I know. I'm ancient. No one wants me. I can't even get anyone to dance with me."

Cassie looked at him thoughtfully and said, "I'll dance with ya, Dad."

"Really? You'll let yourself be seen in public with a cheesy old geezer?" Angel said staring at her pleadingly.

"It's never stopped me before. Has it? Besides," Cassie said before she stood up, took off her cape, and tap-danced in place. "Do you think I brought these shoes just for the aesthetic? Come on."

"Bambina, you make your Daddy so happy," Angel said leaping up joyfully. "You're so good to me in my old age."

"Hey, Isabella," Cassie said leading her Dad to the dance floor. "Could you close the tab? He doesn't need any more liquor in his system."

"Hey!" Angel said staggering behind her. "I'm not drunk."

"Do you wanna know how much you've spent already?"

"Alright, fine."

Angel sobered up a little once he started dancing with Cassie. He usually did. Looking back, those were the best times he had with her. It was him who taught her how to swing dance and do every other dance he knew, but she had long since surpassed him. It was all Angel could do to keep up with her now. Of course, he might say it was because he was buzzed but he knew the truth. She was much better than him and he was okay with that. Angel ran out of energy long before Cassie did, but he kept going. He didn't want it to stop, so they kept going until she was finally tired out.

In the present, Angel wondered if he kept going because he somehow had a premonition of what was going to happen next.

At around 2 am when Angel and Cassie were too tired to keep going anymore, Cassie helped her father walk to the car with the intention of driving herself and her father back to the apartment.

Unfortunately for both of them, the car had a flat tire, so Cassie helped her Dad get to a bench and said, "Alright, Dad, I'm gonna call a cab. You have a preference for who I call?"

"Nah, babe, as long as they get us home," Angel said sinking into the bench he was sitting on while she walked over to the pay phone not ten feet away.

Looking back, Angel thought of a million ways this scenario could have gone differently, a million things he could have done instead, but his memories forced him to face the truth.

While Angel was sitting there in his drunken stupor, he heard Cassie call for him once. Then twice. Then finally in a blood-curdling scream that sobered him immediately.

Angel leaped to his feet and heard a loud pop. He saw someone clad in black run away leaving a trail of blood behind him. He saw Cassie lying on the ground of the phone booth struggling to breathe and coughing up blood with a bullet wound in her chest.

"Oh, my God," Angel said as he ran over to her throwing off his coat and suspenders and pulling off his shirt to use as a tourniquet. "CASSIE! Cassie! Cassie! Stay with me, bambina! Please!"

"What the hell is…?!" Isabella yelled running out and seeing Cassie bleeding on the ground. "OH, MY GOD!"

"AMECHE AN AMBULANCE NOW!" Angel yelled at her as he wrapped the shirt around his hand and held it over the wound.

Isabella quickly nodded and ran inside to do what he asked.

"Cassie, can you hear me?" Angel pleaded as climbed in and propped her up on his lap to help her breathe more easily. "If ya do, please say something."

"Dad…" Cassie replied weakly. "I'm sorry…"

"What? What on earth do you have to be sorry for?"
"He wanted the pendant. But I didn't want to give it to him, so I stabbed him with my pocket knife, but he shot me and took it anyway. I hope he's not hurt too bad…"

Angel only noticed then that the necklace was gone. The thief only wanted the necklace he gave her…

"I'm sorry…" Cassie said. "I was stupid…"

"Cass, don't say that," Angel replied unsuccessfully trying to hold back his tears and using one of his hands to stroke her face. "You're not stupid. You're brave. You're so brave. You're the bravest person I've ever known in my life. You had the guts to leave a comfortable, protected life as a gangster's child to live a hard but honorable life as a godly woman. You're so much braver than I'll ever be."

"You can be brave, too…You can do the same thing…"

"No, I can't. I need you, bambina. I can't do it without you. I'm too much of a fucking coward."

"I think you have it in ya…"

Cassie started coughing up blood uncontrollably. Angel sat her up holding her against his chest to help her breathe and begged God to take him instead of her. He wept and rocked back and forth as his white undershirt was covered in blood until the coughing subsided. He felt so completely helpless.

"Dad, it's okay…" Cassie finally said as Angel lowered back down against his chest. "I know where I'm goin' and I pray one day I'll see you there, too…"

"Cassandra Maria di Lucchese, don't say that," Angel pleaded. "You have so much to live for. You have me, your mama, your friends, the church, your career. For God's sake, you want to be a star. You can't leave yet! Please, I'm beggin' you! Don't go! You're the best thing to ever come out of my goddamn life! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Dad…" Cassie replied with her voice getting weaker. "I love everybody…Please tell them that…But it's okay…I'll see them all again, and the way I see it, I still get to dance among the stars with the best audience of all…I'll be okay…"

Cassie looked up and weakly reached up to her Dad's face with her right hand. He held it against his face as he felt her life slipping away.

"Dad…could you sing me out?" Cassie asked more quietly than before. "I'm about to die, so please make it a good one…"

"No," Angel replied. "I'll make it the one you hate the most. That way, you have to wait until I sing something better."

"You're insufferable…" Cassie said with her sassy smile.

Then Angel began singing slowly to her as the tears kept flowing and he looked into her eyes to be sure she got the message, "Just like the magic potion, you fill me with emotion. You control my very soul. You got me voodoo'd. Who knew the goddess Venus would start this love between us? You fill me with desire. You got me voodoo. You knew you had power. Pick the hour when the full moon was above. I was hypnotized when I looked in your eyes and my heart was filled with love. Just like the power of Circe, you've got me at your mercy. Always yours to have and hold, you've got me voodoo'd."

Cassie was too weak to hold her hand up anymore, so it slipped down but Angel held it in his hand and squeezed it tightly. There was almost nothing left in her. It was all Angel could do to not lose it completely.

"How was that, bambina?" Angel asked gently.

"That was the best you've ever done…" Cassie replied as she finally slipped away. "Joke's on you, though…I always loved that song…"

Cassie's eyes slid shut and she stopped breathing.

"Cassie?" Angel asked shaking her shoulders. "Cassie?!"

Angel heard Isabella crying outside the phone booth. As the sirens approached, his mind grew quieter. All emotions were silenced except for his grief that overpowered them. Tears flooded out of his eyes as he opened his mouth and wailed out his pain.

The ambulance came and told him what he already knew. She was gone, but reluctantly, he let go of her hand and watched them take her body anyway.

It was then that he noticed the trail of blood left behind by his daughter's killer. Temporarily, another emotion possessed him: pure, unadulterated rage.

Angel stood up, put on the coat he had thrown on the ground, and pulled his handgun out of his pocket.

Isabella saw him and only said, "Put a good shot in for me."

Angel turned around, nodded, and followed the blood trail. It led to a small warehouse down the road. He didn't think. He didn't need to. He was guided by his own criminal instincts and the rage that sharpened them.

When Angel arrived, he opened the door and looked around until he saw the bastard with his shoulder being bandaged in the corner. He was holding the ruby pendant in his hand, but he had the audacity to ask Angel what his problem was.

Angel pointed the gun at his head and said with unbridled fury behind his voice, "THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM THE LUCCHESE FAMILY, YOU SON OF A BITCH! SPECIFICALLY, MY LATE DAUGHTER WHO YOU JUST KILLED, CASSANDRA MARIA DI LUCCHESE!"

Angel didn't just shoot him in the head. He emptied his magazine on him. Then when he saw Cassie's knife sitting on the table, Angel used it to stab him repeatedly until he was soaked in his blood and the corpse was almost unrecognizable.

When his rage was satisfied, he grabbed the pendant out of his hand, stuffed it in his pocket, and walked away. No one dared to approach him. Angel then ran to his car to go to the hospital where his daughter was.
Angel wished he could say he changed for Cassie after that, but he didn't have the strength. He lost his mind. After the funeral, he locked himself in his apartment with his drugs and liquor and refused to open the door for anyone, not even his sister Molly.

He only opened the door when Maggie came by one night. When she entered with luggage, food, and more liquor, she said nothing, but she opened her alcohol and gave him some as well.

Her only words were, "I know you're the one who killed our baby's murderer. Thank you."

She then sat down next to him and started chugging her liquor next to him. Very quickly, she was binging and crying along with him, and they talked more than they had in years. He appreciated his friend's presence. She was the only one who understood how he felt. And she didn't leave until the day he died.

Together, they went on a path of mutual self-destruction. They left their respective jobs and became full-time junkies. They lived together and even slept in the same bed, which ironically made them more of a husband and wife than when Cassie was alive. Together, they drank. Together, they used. Together, they became prostitutes when their families cut them off, so they could buy more drugs. Together, they tried any new thing they could to numb the pain just a little bit more and make their lives more bearable, whether that was substance abuse, sex, or anything else that caused trouble.

They grew very close over the next year. It made sense because very soon all they had was each other.

Angel and Maggie pushed everyone else away. They lived in an isolated wonderland of hedonism all their own. They had so much fun that it drowned out the misery their hearts were feeling. Despite what it brought on them, they were happy together, and the way Angel saw it, he was in some way doing what Cassie had wanted.

Then came the day Angel died. It was Halloween. He woke up early in the morning from another nightmare, but his partner-in-crime wasn't there. He got up to look for her, and all he found was a note she left.

Maggie said that she was tired of the empty life she was living and the pain her addictions could never cure. She had left to check herself into the rehab facility her church sponsored and begged Angel to come with her to receive the help he needed.

Angel crumpled the note in his hand and tossed it aside in anger. His only friend had abandoned him, and he was by himself again. Angel sat down and wept quietly for a while until he remembered the stash of PCP they had bought the night before.

Angel dumped out her share and his share for himself. He inhaled all of it until it was gone.

Not too long after, he fell on the floor convulsing uncontrollably. He tried to call for help, but his voice was gone. His vision began fading, and his mind began to create more hallucinations. He could have sworn that he saw his little girl looking as she was on that fateful day a year before begging him to change. She was beautiful. He tried to reach for her, but his body wouldn't cooperate, and she disappeared.

The last thought Angel remembered thinking before he died was, "I'm sorry, bambina…"

When the Grim Reaper took Angel's soul to Judgement, he accepted it without complaint. When God gave his judgment, he listened quietly and unapologetically, but somehow, he could feel from the love and sadness emanating from him that he understood how he felt.

The only thing Angel said before he was sent to hell was, "Thank you for looking after Cassie. I know you're a trillion times the father to her that I ever was."

When he was taken away, Angel could somehow still feel Cassie's tears falling.

From then on in hell, Angel lived as he wanted. He took the name "Angel Dust" from Cassie's joke, made a name for himself in the adult porn industry, and stayed away from the mob when his relatives finally did descend. He was no saint, but he figured that his actions would make Cassie a little bit happier.

As time wore on, he didn't forget, but the pain became easier to bear as he lived his new life and made new friends. He was slightly disappointed when Maggie didn't come to join him when she died but only slightly.

After all, he couldn't blame her for wanting to avoid hell.

Life was still miserable, but the drugs, sex, and bad friends made it tolerable.

Back in the present, Angel was finally standing in front of the Happy Hotel. He didn't know what redemption would take or how hard it would be. He didn't even know if he could do it, but for the first time in forever, his heart felt hopeful. That hope reminded him of Cassie, and even if that was the only result from it, it was still worth investing his time in, especially if it meant he could finally see his daughter as the man she always believed he could be.